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Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar
sought the high ground quite energet-
ically at the start of Monday s parliamen-
tary debate on the Constitution (Amend-
ment) Bill 2014.
One key piton in the Prime Minister s
effort to climb above the furore that the
bill had created was that she was allowing
a conscience vote for the members of the
People s Partnership.
"I m releasing all MPs of Cabinet from
the doctrine of collective responsibility on
this matter," the PM said in opening the
debate.
That one-time free paper was meant to
allow any member of her party to vote
without repercussions for failing to toe the
party line and to vote according to their
own judgment of the bill s merits or
demerits.
Necessity may well have been the mother
of this innovation, however, as the COP
had, on Sunday, called on the Government
to postpone voting and refer the bill for
further consultations or deliberation by a
joint select committee, and signalling the
possibility that at least some of its remain-
ing MPs would not vote for the bill.
That didn t stop COP leader Prakash
Ramadhar from vigorously defending the
constitutional reforms and the runoff pro-
vision in particular as "a very poor but
necessary substitute for proportional repre-
sentation."
The COP s founder, Winston Dookeran,
listening to his "inner voice," unexpectedly
spoke out loud and clear on the Govern-
ment benches against the bill and its
implementation. Both Mr Dookeran and
Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan voted against
the bill, while Rodger Samuel abstained.
Indeed, the founding COP leader seemed
to cross swords with Mr Ramadhar, noting
that: "If I were to vote in support of this
runoff mechanism I would be voting
against the principle of proportional repre-
sentation, and that is my major concern at
this point."
The conscience vote was a politically safe
way to support the appearance of full
democracy in Parliament, since the Gov-
ernment s simple majority was command-
ing, and internal discussions within the
partnership must have already made it clear
how many of the COP members would not
be voting for the bill.
It s unlikely that such a calculated relax-
ing of party discipline will recur in a Par-
liament that doesn t offer such a convinc-
ing majority for the ruling party, or one
that doesn t have the kind of voting elbow
room that the People s Partnership origi-
nally enjoyed in the House of Representa-
tives.
Some sensible amendments have been
made to the bill since it was first made
public and subject to brief but intense
public review. The President can now
appoint a Prime Minister before the results
of a final runoff vote are known. That s a
useful prophylactic measure, which will
ensure that a lame-duck government does-
n t stick around after it s been voted out.
The country s political history has tended
to deliver a few constituencies in which a
runoff vote might prove necessary, but in
those cases there has already been a clear
overall winner.
What the Government is still to convinc-
ingly explain is the need to rush these par-
ticular reforms through Parliament during
an unusual August sitting.
The focus on the runoff is also surpris-
ing, given that the public consultations on
constitution reform focused on proportional
representation and the critical need, chiefly
articulated by political observers and NGO
bodies, for campaign finance regulation.
When is the Government planning to bring
legislation on that long-awaited change?
Key reforms still for Constitution
The COP's founder, Winston Dookeran, listening to his "inner voice," unexpectedly spoke out
loud and clear on the Government benches against the bill and its implementation. Both Mr
Dookeran and Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan voted against the bill, while Rodger Samuel abstained.
A26
WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 13,
2014
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When online social networking
started a revolution in communica-
tions in the 1990s, the great idea was
to transcend the old frontiers of time
and place. At last, we could make con-
tact with like-minded people all over
the globe, instantly---a boon for any-
one who was bored, isolated, chatty or
curious and for children in particular.
Since that happy dawn, however, it
has become clear that some people
gravitate towards the net with darker
purposes, in search of prey rather than
company. Net trolls, cyberbullies and
groomers have moved in, using the
anonymity of the net to demean, con-
fuse and frighten the recipients of
their unwanted attentions. The inci-
dence of children who report being
harassed, bullied and targeted for one
reason or another continues to rise.
There are moves afoot to curb the
worst excesses of the internet. The
Government is considering calls to
criminalise so-called "revenge porn,"
when people post sexually explicit
pictures or videos of former partners
on the net without their consent.
However, more remains to be done.
It should be easier to prosecute trolls
and groomers under the Sexual Of-
fences Act. We also need more
progress on security filters, designed
to stop children chancing on porn. The
internet remains a fantastic resource.
It is a great leap forward that most of
us can no longer imagine living with-
out. But it does have a dark side---and
children need protection from it.
-The Independent (UK)
Sound Off: Step up fight against online bullies and groomers